Retail Watch: H Lorenzo Takes Eco O.T.T.

Some retailers think going green is as simple as throwing recycled bags and organic T-shirts into the mix. But for a brand as committed to perfection as LA's H Lorenzo, an eco-conscious initiative isn't something to be taken lightly—or by half-measures. The luxury boutique's newest outpost, located in the paparazzi vortex of Robertson Boulevard, is filled with so much eco-technology that Consulting Creative Director Steven Trussell says, "It's so covered in green, you'll have to wash your hands when you leave."

One of the world's first eco-concept retailers, HLNR is quite possibly improving the world just by existing. It's immediately obvious that the shop is different from its neighbors as it eschews the street's signature neon awnings for metal mesh window shades that move up and down with the sun. Twelve panels flank the building, all made of a recycled pasta-drying apparatus from a factory in Turin.

The shop's interior, designed from top to bottom by Oliviero Baldini, is decorated solely with recycled and antique materials, which exude an aura of warmth and ease in contrast to the stark concrete floor and exposed-beam ceiling. A series of 1950s-era wooden panels were sourced from a demolished bank in Italy, while wall hangings were crafted from 75-year-old Italian mailbags and plastic bottles. Even the humble trash heap proved a worthy muse—a nearby kitchen store donated granite scraps to build a textured wall, and packing crates were repurposed to form display cases.

Not only is HLNR a keen re-user of other businesses' waste, it's determined not to create its own. The entire shop is powered by a rooftop array of solar panels, which provide enough electricity to feed back into the city's grid. It's also totally paperless: receipts are all sent by email, and the Jetsons-inspired bathroom is kitted out with a slightly frightening electronic bidet and a Dyson Airblade hand dryer.

The only thing in the shop that's not totally green is the merchandise. At the moment, only about 25% of the shop's labels are eco-friendly, but Trussell assured us this number will increase to around 75% by the end of the year. In addition to its mostly Japanese green brands—Konzo, Botanika and Kiminori Morishita, to name a few—the shop will be the only H Lorenzo location to stock Viktor & Rolf, Raf Simons, Haider Ackermann and Anne Valerie Hash, among others—all of which will appeal to the sophisticated, younger clientele the retailer hopes to attract with this venture.

"We've planned on opening a shop here for a while, and we had a chance to do something influential with it," explains Trussell. "We knew it would be expensive, but it's totally worth it. All the work will pay for itself in a few years."

The retailer is so confident in its new project that it's beginning to incorporate green details into its other shops as well. The Sunset Boulevard boutique is taking on an LED lighting program piloted at HLNR, and a project for Las Vegas' CityCenter development is planned to be green as well.

"It's impossible to be totally sustainable, but we feel like we've done as much as we could," says Trussell. "Other businesses have undertaken similar projects—gas stations, farms, manufacturing—but there's certainly nothing else like this in the fashion or retail industries. I think this could possibly be one of the most important stores in the world."

—Erin Magner